Lectionary
Ruminations 2.0 is a revised continuation of Lectionary Ruminations. Focusing on The Revised Common Lectionary Readings for the upcoming Sunday from New Revised
Standard Version (NRSV) of the Bible, Lectionary
Ruminations 2.0 draws on nearly thirty years of pastoral experience. Believing that the questions we ask are often
more important than any answers we find, without overreliance on commentaries I
intend with comments and questions to encourage reflection and rumination for
readers preparing to teach, preach, or hear the Word. Reader comments are
invited and encouraged. All lectionary
links are to the via the PC(USA)
Devotions and Readings website.
PREFACE: November 29th, 2015 is the
First Sunday of Advent and the beginning of Liturgical Year C.
33:14 Did the author of
Jeremiah have Advent in mind when writing about the days that are surely
coming? What promise did the LORD make
with Israel and Judah?
33:15 Is there any difference
between “in those days” and “at that time”?
Is this a mere literary device, or is something else going on here? In the NRSV, why is “Branch”
capitalized? What is the difference
between justice and righteousness?
33:16 Is salvation
synonymous with safety? What is the “it”
that will be called “The LORD is our righteousness”? Does “The LORD is our
righteousness” translate just one Hebrew word?
25:1 How do you lift up
your soul to the LORD?
25:2 What is the
difference, if any, between trust and faith?
25:3 Is the Psalmist
appealing to the LORD’s sense of justice or the LORD’s vanity? Why the emphasis
on shame?
25:4 Is this a prayer of
supplication?
25:5 How does the LORD lead
and teach?
25:6 Can the LORD ever
forget? Does the LORD even occasionally need to be reminded?
25:7 Apparently the LORD
can forget. The Psalmist wants the LORD to remember mercy but forget sins.
Forget my sins, but remember me!
25:8 Was there ever any
doubt that the LORD is good and upright?
25:9 Does the LORD lead the
humble, or do the humble follow?
25:10 How many paths of the
LORD are there? What is the difference
between covenant and decrees?
3:9 Who is the “we” and who
is the “you”?
3:10 Is it possible to pray
a prayer that is not earnest? What is
lacking in your faith? How can it be
restored?
3:11 What are the possible
meanings of “our way”?
3:12 In other words—be like
us?
3:13 What is the
grammatical relationship between “the coming of our Lord Jesus” and “with all
his saints”? Will Jesus not return alone when he returns?
21:25 This sounds like reason
enough for an interest in astronomy, but how do we interpret this pre-modern
and pre-Copernican text in a postmodern, post-Copernican world? What does the roaring of the sea and waves
represent?
21:26 How and why will the
powers of heaven be shaken? There will be no fear and foreboding if people in
general, and politicians in particular, ignore or even deny the signs of global
climate change.
21:27 Who is the “Son of
Man” and what kind of cloud will accompany his return? Cirrus?
Cumulus? Mushroom? How can we
interpret this imagery when some want to take it literally, some want to take
it metaphorically, and some discount it all together?
21:28 Once these things
begin to take place, how long will they last? Why stand up and raise the head?
What redemption is drawing near?
21:29 Why single out the
fig tree?
21:30 So we are basically
talking about natural seasonal signs.
21:31 What is the kingdom
of God any why has it not been near before? It has been only in the past few
years that I learned that the ripe fruit of fig trees, unlike the fruit of some
other trees, will not last long before it falls off the branch and rots.
21:32 How did early
Christians cope with disappointment when this prophecy was not (apparently)
realized? What do you know about “realized eschatology”?
21:33 Heaven will pass
away? Whose words?
21:34 Dissipation and drunkenness
are one thing but worries are another.
21:35 What does the image
of a trap suggest?
21:36 How can one escape
these things?
ADDENDUM
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